Gum that cleans teeth for those too busy to brush

Chewing gum that cleans teeth has been developed to make life easier for those with no time to brush.

A team led by Kai Leung, of the US army dental research detachment in Great Lakes, Illinois, believes the product will prove a great help to 21st-century workaholics who cannot be bothered with such a trivial routine as brushing teeth.

Originally designed for soldiers to combat gum infection, the product contains an active protein which, say the developers, replicates the action of brush and paste - allowing a holiday from toothpaste "for at least a couple of days".